Refinishing My K98 Stock.....

dak47

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As soon as I'm free from purgatory (tomorrow) I'm giving the bike the once over for spring and then tearing the old byf 43/44 K98 apart.
The rifle is in nice shape but a mismatch so, a Timney trigger Sportsman Deluxe, struggling with a possible scout scope base or Lyman 57, and beautifying the stock as much as I can.... I came across this method on Mauser Central, labour intensive, yup - but I'm in no hurry and it sounds like it could be beaut when done.What do you all think of this refinish method? Yes, I had to look up rotten stone, made sense then.... ;)

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D.K.


Stock finishing This is by no means an all inclusive procedure. This method works for me and by no means is the only way to finish a gunstock. A list of supplies is first followed by stepped procedures.

Supplies

Wet/dry 320 grit paper 1 pint of marine varnish(McCloskey's) Several hard felt pads
Wet/dry 600 grit paper 1 quart of Daly's BenMatte tung oil 0000 steel wool
Wet/dry 1200 grit paper Mineral spirits lots of clean rags or paper towels
Wet/dry 1800 grit paper Rotten stone Patience
Lets assume that the stock has been thoroughly block sanded from 100 grit up to 320 grit. Never sand a stock with out a hard backing surface! The next step is whiskering. Wet the stock thoroughly and use a hair dryer or other no flame heat source to quickly dry the wood. This will raise the fine whiskers on the stock. Rub the stock cross grain with the 0000 steel wool to cut the whiskers off. Repeat this process until no more whiskers will stand up. Usually takes about 6 times.

Sealing the wood
Get your can of marine varnish and mix equal portions of the varnish and mineral spirits in glass jar. Take a rag or brush and slop this mixture over the entire stock. This includes the inletting, barrel channel, under the grip cap, recoil pad. Let stand for an hour and wipe off the excess if there is any. Let is dry good and hard for about 4 or 5 days. Repeat the procedure and this time let dry for at least a week. The wood should be thoroughly sealed at this point.

Filling the pores
Get your mix of varnish and mineral spirits out again and pour some onto a plate. Get a piece of that hard felt and some 320 grit wet/dry paper. Dip the paper in the mixture and block sand the surface with the grain. This process creates a mixture of wood dust and finish. It should look like mud. Be sure to change your paper every so often so you are cutting well. Once the stock has been completely wet sanded take your clean paper towel and very gently wipe the surface cross grain. Wipe as though you were dusting a fine piece of porcelain. This will push the mud you created into the pores. Let dry a couple of days. Repeat this procedure until all the pores have been filled. Different stocks will take require more wet sanding than others. It will depend on how porous the wood is. The stocks I work with usually take 6 wet sandings to fill the pores. The final time you do this wipe off the stock completely with the grain. Leave no mud on the stock. Let dry for at least a week.

Building the finish
Grab that can of Daly's Ben Matte tung oil, your hard felt pads, and your 320 grit paper. Pour some tung oil on a plate and wet sand the entire stock. Wipe completely off with the grain. Repeat process with 320. Continue wet sanding and wiping off completely with 600, 1200, 1800 grit paper. Do each stage twice.

The Rub Out
This part can be difficult and frustrating so take your time. Get your rotten stone, the tung oil, and your hard felt pad. Pour some tung oil on a plate and dip the hard felt pad in the finish.pick up some rotten stone with the wet pad. Rub with the grain VERY gently. Work a small area then move on to another. Keep dipping in the tung oil and then the rotten stone. The more stone you have on the pad the faster it cuts so watch it. This usually takes me a couple of hours so don't rush it. When the stock has been completed rubbed out take a clean paper towel and soak it with the tung oil. Wipe the stock down with the rag to remove all the stone. Then take a dry paper towel and wipe the stock dry. Let this sit around for 2 weeks.

The Final Finish
All of your hard work now comes down to this. This is the finish that everyone will see so take your time. Pour a little (like a teaspoon) of tung oil into a small dish( I use an ashtray). Pick up a single drop of tung oil with your finger and rub it in thoroughly. Work a small area and use only one drop at a time. You are applying very thin coats of finish here that will dry quickly and should not allow lint to collect on the surface. If your finish is very thin it should dry over night. Wait another day just to be sure. Apply another coat. You are done when the stock looks like you want it too. I usually do five hand rubbed coats but you may like the way it looks after just one or two. Its up to you. If you make a mistake, or have a run in the finish you can always rub the stock out again with your rotten stone and start the hand rubbed process over.

I usually let the stock hang around for about a month before I checker it or subject it to any kind of weather. Well I hope this has been informative. Good luck and you know where to find me if you need help.
Bill Soverns of Soverns Custom GunStocks

Thanks Bill for sharing this with Mauser Central :) You can see other Great tips and tricks from Bill and other Great Authorities on Mausers and Sporterizing at the MFRC forum
 
You probably won't find a lot of cheerleaders for refinishing milsurps here. Most might advocate a good cleaning of the stock some frown on even that.
The finish method described would work well on a walnut stock but I don't think it is the answer for your laminate stock. My 2 cents.
 
Before the inevitable and somewhat destructive "refinishing" begins, you may want to define "mismatched". Why do you want you mauser to look like a piano?
 
Whoa, step away from the sand paper!

There is no need to sand that nice stock down and ruin it. Hit it with some TSP to get the dirt out, then lightly scrub it with fine steel wool and mineral spirits while being mindful of any stock markings.
Once cleaned apply teak or tung oil and call it done.



Looking at that pic makes me realize I should have never sold those beauties, I can't remember who I sold them to but they are lucky sob's;)
 
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Thats a great method you posted on refinishing a stock, but its way overkill for a K98. Unless you don't care about it looking over restored. I'd keep it to a more original look if it was mine, that is more correct for the period.
 
I have re-thought my methods on this several times.

If it has a post-war varnish or shelac - be happy to use an Antique Paint remover - usually removes the finish with a sponge or 0000 steel wool.

TSP or good old Oven Cleaner (Foam in a Can) will actually work wonders on a stock and it hasn't harmed any metal or wood I've put it on. I got this idea from a video on a You Tube where a guy used it to remove 150 years of grease and oil off an IMA - Nepalese Rifle. This unconventional method has worked on several Nepalese rifles, K98's, VZ24s and Enfields. You just spray it on and let the foaming action do the work. After about 15 min the white foam will look brown (grease/oil) and then wipe with a sponge or towel - repeat until you are satisfied with the results - REALLY - it is that easy and you don't risk damaging markings.

Then let it dry - usually an hour or so.

I use to use teak oil, tung oil, danish oil, sunflower oil, combinations of each, etc, etc, etc.

I now use a mixed mineral oil product that magically restores the glow/finish of wood products and is also safe and protects metal surfaces. I will get the name of this product tonight.

I have found this two product method fool proof with great results and because I only use a sponge or towel - I have reduced any risk of damaging any markings or removing any original wood.
 
I think the stock looks great right now. Even cleaning it will make it look ####ty, fake, restored, pimped etc. kinda like how a bad boob job is worse than before.
 
Well, I think I'll be emailing Jerry at Mystic after this post. Bore is great with uber crisp rifiling, cannot seem to figure out how to capture that with the camers succsesfully :confused:
But the rest is a hodge podge of #'s besides the reciever & barrel with a cracked stock as a bonus ;) So I ain't gonna sweat a nice Boyd's stock and Timney trigger on this setup and try to make a true shooter with a dirty bird stamped on the side.
Will figure out the 7.92 X 57 cartridge on this platform, sharpen my milsurp skillset and then foyer out once again into the milsurp world :cool:

D.K.

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Ok, no crime here but thats barely a crack. A boyds stock & a timney trigger won't make it a true shooter, (Mr Mauser already took care of that department) you will. Save your cash for quality bullets!
 
Use that Sandpaper for your Toilet Paper, rough side up, and rub hard!

You'll only devalue your Mauser by 75% by sanding it.

Don't Sand it.
 
Use that Sandpaper for your Toilet Paper, rough side up, and rub hard!

You'll only devalue your Mauser by 75% by sanding it.

Don't Sand it.

I get the whole don't mess with a nice milsurp when it's all complete, but when it's a mish mash?? what am I missing here? I will glue the non original stock together and keep it aside with the bits and bobs.... My little squirrel pile of takeoffs won't matter an iota in these rifles resale value IMHO.... ;)

D.K.
 
I get the whole don't mess with a nice milsurp when it's all complete, but when it's a mish mash?? what am I missing here? I will glue the non original stock together and keep it aside with the bits and bobs.... My little squirrel pile of takeoffs won't matter an iota in these rifles resale value IMHO.... ;)

D.K.

Even if its a mish mash, nothing looks worse than a k98 that has had a date with a belt sander. It always looks melted.
 
I'm stopped reading the post when you mentioned sandpaper. Are you @$/?" %# serious?
Take a look around, not one person here will tell you it's a good idea. Doesn't mayter its RC or mismatch, sanding it is still a bad idea.
 
That's a beautiful K98 you have there. That's what they are supposed to look like.

Don't use sandpaper on it. That crack is easily fixed with epoxy and a clamp.

The markings on the butt are identical to those on my Yugo K98 captured rifle with ZRAK scope and mounts.
 
I would not be sanding that stock. It looks great from what I can see of it. If you want a stock that is more sporty, there are lots of options out there. Then you could keep that stock squirreled away for when you wanted to bring it back to military configuration.
 
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